The Biden administration has announced new sanctions against Cuba, as the communist regime cracks down on the biggest protests in decades. How might the president's pledge to support democracy around the world play out in Cuba? Miami political consultant Fernand Amandi says liberating Cuba has political rewards. We look back at how Fidel Castro scored an early propaganda victory against America on a visit to New York. And technology writer Antonio García Martínez warns the rapid opening of Cuba to the internet will cause more disruption. John Prideaux hosts with Roseann Lake and Jon Fasman.For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/USpod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Checks and Balance

Checks and Balance: Cuba libre?

What is President Biden's new China doctrine and will it work? The Economist's Beijing bureau chief looks back 20 years to the beginning of the era of engagement between the two superpowers. And, as their governments' relationship worsens, how do Chinese and Americans perceive each other?John Prideaux hosts with Jon Fasman and Zanny Minton Beddoes.For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/USpod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Checks and Balance: Trading places

Twenty six Republican-led states have legislated to stop critical race theory being taught in schools. Local school board meetings have seen angry protests. What should Americans learn about their history?We speak to historian Gary Nash of UCLA, who helped devise national teaching standards, and look back on the West Virginia textbook wars of 1974.John Prideaux hosts with Tamara Gilkes Borr and Jon Fasman.For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/USpod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Checks and Balance: History test

Election administration used to be a sleepy corner of American bureaucracy. Now it’s the latest victim of extreme polarisation. A privately-funded audit of votes by Republicans in Arizona reveals how democratic norms continue to erode since Donald Trump left office.Idrees Kahloon reports from Phoenix. Republican Senator Jeff Flake tells us American democracy is more fragile than we thought. Kathleen Hale of Auburn University, who trains election administrators, says many have been traumatised by partisan attacks.John Prideaux hosts with Jon Fasman.For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/USpod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Checks and Balance: Steal works

As America reopens, new business creation is at record levels and there is upward pressure on wages for the first time in decades. How has the pandemic restructured the American economy? The Economist’s editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes joins the panel. President Obama’s former chief economist Jason Furman assesses the shift in fiscal policy. And Ryan Avent, our economics columnist, looks at the strange labour market. John Prideaux hosts with Jon Fasman.For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/USpod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Checks and Balance: Recovery time

In his first one hundred days Joe Biden looked ruthless, but his ambitious legislative agenda has since hit a wall. A series of crucial votes are expected in the coming month. Is gridlock inevitable?Sarah Binder of George Washington University says Congressional logjam has become the norm. The Economist’s Lexington columnist James Astill profiles Krysten Sinema, the Senator who may yet break the deadlock.John Prideaux hosts with Idrees Kahloon and Jon Fasman.For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/USpod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Checks and Balance: Agenda bender

On his first overseas trip as president, Joe Biden has promised to send 500m covid-19 jabs to countries that need them. America’s vaccine success is making up for its failure to control the virus last year. Is the pandemic over in America?Kavita Patel, a primary care doctor, tells us new covid cases have all but vanished and Bruno Maçães, author of “Geopolitics for the End Time, From the Pandemic to the Climate Crisis”, says vaccination success is salvaging America’s global prestige.John Prideaux hosts with Tamara Gilkes Borr and Jon Fasman.For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/USpod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Checks and Balance: After math

The belief that people should advance according to their abilities rather than family pedigree is one of history’s most revolutionary ideas. But the meritocratic ideal that has inspired Americans since Thomas Jefferson has lost its lustre. Social mobility has stalled and critics on both right and left see a country captured by self-serving elites. Can America’s meritocracy be mended?John Prideaux, US editor, hosts with Adrian Wooldridge, The Economist’s political editor and author of “The Aristocracy of Talent”, US policy correspondent Tamara Gilkes Borr and Jon Fasman, US digital editor. For full access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions, subscribe at economist.com/USpod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Checks and Balance: Merit where it’s due

Texas legislators only meet every other year. Their most conservative session in a generation just relaxed gun laws and restricted abortion. Might Republican strength in Texas ease the hangover from the Trump presidency? Mark Jones of Rice University, Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo, and James Astill, The Economist’s Washington bureau chief, contribute.John Prideaux hosts with Alexandra Suich Bass and Jon Fasman.For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/USpod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Checks and Balance: Texas carry’em

The idea that racism is resistant to laws meant to end it originated in academia a generation ago. It’s become more mainstream since the murder of George Floyd and the protests that followed. How helpful is this way of thinking about race in America?In this episode we assess how the debate on race is changing with historian Yohuru Williams; find out how "Critical Race Theory" entered the culture wars; and speak to Kimberlé Crenshaw, one of its leading scholars.John Prideaux hosts with Idrees Kahloon and Jon Fasman.For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/USpod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Checks and Balance: One year on

A ransomware attack shut down a vital fuel pipeline on the east coast. President Biden’s plans to upgrade the hi-tech energy infrastructure may make it yet more vulnerable to hackers. Is America properly protected from cyber attack?Michael Tran of RBC Capital Markets assesses the damage. The Economist’s defence editor Shashank Joshi puts the attack in context. Amy Myers Jaffe, author of “Energy’s Digital Future”, says it's a wake-up call. John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Jon Fasman.For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/USpod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Checks and Balance: Smart attack

Big-city homicide rates have spiked during the pandemic. St Louis has America’s highest murder rate and nearly two thirds go unsolved. What happens when so many cases are left cold?Sharon Williams’ son Mikey was shot and killed. His case remains unsolved. The Economist’s US digital editor Jon Fasman went to St Louis to speak to her.John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard.For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/USpod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Checks and Balance: Crime without punishment

A portrait of Franklin Roosevelt hangs in the Oval Office, where Joe Biden convenes historians to share how his hero began changing the country in his very first weeks as president. But the new president faces tough trade-offs to secure his ambitious agenda. How much might this presidency transform America?Historian Niall Ferguson tells us presidents learn the wrong lessons from those who came before them. The Economist’s Washington correspondent Idrees Kahloon and data journalist Elliott Morris also join.John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Jon Fasman.For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/USpod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Checks and Balance: 100 days of aptitude

Vladimir Putin has responded to a new US administration with typical thuggery. Russia’s main opposition leader is in prison and its military is again threatening Ukraine. Can Joe Biden deal with Russia more effectively than past presidents?The Economist’s James Bennet and Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador who was with Biden when he last met Putin, join the discussion. Plus we hear an excerpt from The Economist Asks with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Jon Fasman.For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/USpod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Checks and Balance: Vlad, bad and dangerous

American companies used to keep quiet about politics, relying on behind the scenes donations and lobbying. But they are increasingly speaking out on a range of issues— most recently on Georgia’s restrictive new voting laws. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, of the Yale School of Management, organised a recent meeting of CEOs and says this is a great opportunity for businesses. Henry Tricks, The Economist’s Schumpeter columnist, surveys the history of corporate activism and we explore international comparisons.John Prideaux, our US editor, hosts, with New York bureau chief Charlotte Howard, and Jon Fasman, US digital editor.For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/USpod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Checks and Balance: CEOutrage

The Economist's team of experts explore American politics in an extraordinary election year.US editor John Prideaux and his colleagues from across the US and around the world go beyond the headlines and the horserace to delve deeper into the race for the White House—and why it matters so much.

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Checks and Balance

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